Slow Transfer Speeds - KB Article #1199

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In most FTP software, transfer speeds are recorded in kilobytes (KB) per second. Most internet connections are measured in kilobits (Kb) per second. One kilobyte equals 8 kilobits. For example, if an ISP has specified a 15000 Kb/s connection, the maximum transfer rate on that connection will not exceed 187 KB/s.

It is very common for an ISP to provide different upload and download rates for a connection. A typical home DSL package may have 1500 kilobits download and only 256 kilobits upload. This causes a fairly significant difference in upload and download speeds.

Bandwidth can also be used by other applications. A network running a web server, mail server and FTP Server will need to divide the total internet bandwidth between all these services. One example of this: if a web browser is opened while there are transfers in progress, web browsing and the file transfer will both be slower then normal.